Huayu 1992, my entertainment era

Chapter 2 Invitation to the Butong 100 Dance Hall

A modern bus slowly drove out from the train station, packed with people dragging large and small bags.

Zhou Ziheng squeezed into the carriage.

"Buy tickets, buy tickets!" The ticket seller walked through the crowd with difficulty, shouting skillfully.

Zhou Ziheng took out a dime, handed it to her, and took the bill.

There were not many vehicles in Guangzhou during this period.

But transportation is also a big problem.

Most people don’t understand traffic rules. At intersections, there are always people crossing the middle of the road, which makes the bus run abnormally slowly.

The straight-line distance from Yangcheng Railway Station to Nonglinxia Road is only six or seven kilometers, but it took more than half an hour to drive there.

Arrive at your stop, get off!
Zhou Ziheng carried his guitar and walked towards the place where he used to sing.

Every wandering singer will have his or her own ideas about choosing a location after performing outside for a long time.

Nonglinxia Road was not the most prosperous commercial area in Guangzhou at that time. The Wangfujing Department Store, which became very famous in later generations, had not yet opened here. Therefore, Nonglinxia Road was only considered average among the many commercial streets in Guangzhou.

However, there is an advantage here that Zhou Ziheng values.

It is not too far from Guangdong Radio and Television Station, and Butong 100, the largest entertainment and dance hall in Guangzhou, is located on Sanyu Road nearby.

This has led to famous musicians from Hong Kong, Taiwan and the mainland frequently coming here to spend money.

This attracted a large number of wandering singers to perform here in order to attract attention.

By the way, because there are a lot of wandering singers gathered here, under the stimulation of the group, passers-by here usually have the habit of giving tips.

Well, Zhou Ziheng came here just for the rewards.

Make money! Don't steal or rob, earn it with your own ability, it's not shameful.

When we arrived at the location, it was the weekend and there were a lot more pedestrians than usual, including some who were obviously tourists from Hong Kong and Taiwan.

In recent years, as the spring breeze of reform and opening up has blown across the mainland, the mainland economy has been growing rapidly, which has attracted a large number of foreign investors and even tourists.

As the first coastal city in the inland, Guangzhou naturally became the primary destination for these people.

Zhou Ziheng put away the box for tips, tuned the guitar, and then began to play and sing.

"The wanderer misses you outside"

"Dear Mom"

"Wandering footsteps travel all over the world"

'No home'

"The winter wind brings snowflakes"

"Blow My Tears Down"

As the guitar prelude with a hint of sadness came out, it immediately attracted the attention of many passers-by.

When Zhou Ziheng's clear voice sang slowly, passers-by who had never heard the song were immediately attracted by the song and couldn't help but stop and look at Zhou Ziheng.

"The wanderer misses you outside"

"Dear Mom"

"Wandering footsteps travel all over the world"

'No home'

The lyrics of "Wandering Song" are very simple, and the melody is also very short, with only a few tunes.

But such simple words and melody silenced all the onlookers.

Moreover, Zhou Ziheng noticed that as his singing continued, more and more people gathered around him.

After a while, the empty space was surrounded by people.

Each of these people listened to Zhou Ziheng's singing attentively.

From time to time, some people were so touched by his words that they started putting RMB into the box in front of him.

Every time someone gave a tip, Zhou Ziheng would bow slightly to express his gratitude.

Soon the song ended and Zhou Ziheng stopped playing.

"Thank you! Thank you for your support! Thank you!"

After bowing to everyone again, Zhou Ziheng carefully looked around.

I don’t know, I’m scared.

Before he knew it, more than twenty people had gathered here.

"Friend, whose new song is this?"

In the crowd, a fat man with a beard who also carried a guitar threw a banknote into the box and asked.

From his look, Zhou Ziheng knew he was from the same industry, but he didn't mind and replied directly:
"This is a song I wrote myself! It's called 'Wandering Song'."

Upon hearing this, the bearded Fatty wiped his eyes with his sleeve.

“It’s a very emotional song. It reminds me of my parents!”

As he spoke, he extended his hand towards Zhou Ziheng, "My name is Huo Feng, and like you, I'm a singer. I also gave myself a stage name, Huo Feng!"

Zhou Ziheng was not surprised to hear him say that he was a singer.

All wandering singers, including Zhou Ziheng, never say that they are wandering singers when introducing themselves to others, but label themselves as singers.

However, the name Huo Feng made Zhou Ziheng unable to help but take a closer look at the little fat boy in front of him.

He had a full beard and short hair, and he was actually not fat, but strong.

Looking more closely, the other person really looks somewhat similar to Huo Feng, the one who sang "The Big Flower Sedan".

After knowing that the other party would become a famous singer in the future, Zhou Ziheng did not make a fuss.

During this period when most future famous singers are still in the process of settling down, it is really easy to meet future big stars.

Putting aside other things, Li Chunbo is in the same karaoke bar as him, so they are all at the same level now!

Therefore, Zhou Ziheng was not too surprised that he met Huo Feng, who seemed to be in a more miserable state.

He just held out his hand, "My name is Zhou Ziheng, you can call me Hengzi, Ah Heng, or Ziheng!"

"Hengzi!" Huo Feng shouted.

Then, he touched his head and said awkwardly:
“I had just arrived in Guangzhou, and my financial situation was very poor, so not many people gave me tips for singing.

I was wondering...I was wondering if you would allow me to sing this song of yours?"

As if he felt that his request was a bit excessive, he hurriedly said: "Don't worry, when I sing, I will tell everyone that you are the original author of this song!"

At this time, Zhou Ziheng was picking up the coins and banknotes that passers-by had just thrown out of the box and putting them back into the box.

Hearing this, he turned around and looked at Huo Feng.

Huo Feng looked sincere, with a hint of expectation in his eyes.

After a moment of hesitation, Zhou Ziheng nodded, "Yes, you can sing this song!"

Zhou Ziheng was not worried that Huo Feng would claim the title of the original singer.

The reason why he chose "Wandering Song" as the first song after his rebirth was not only because this song was a killer in this era.

Another reason is that this song is very similar to his experience in this body.

With experience and musical knowledge, he has already written a perfect first draft of his creation.

I sealed the draft and sent it to myself by registered mail.

With this first draft in hand, he naturally doesn't have to worry about plagiarism.

"Thank you! Thank you very much!"

When Huo Feng heard that Zhou Ziheng agreed to let him sing the song on the street, he was so excited that he kept thanking him.

Zhou Ziheng waved his hand, picked up the guitar and continued his singing.

Huo Feng happily carried his guitar and went to another street.

"Wandering Song" may be rustic, and is a song that is regarded as a rustic song like "Xiao Fang".

But it is also the song that touches people’s hearts the most.

How many workers are there in Guangzhou?

Are they considered homeless people?

After all, they are all wanderers who have left their hometowns and are strangers in a foreign land.

In later generations, Chen Xing became famous all over the country with this song and became a working emperor, and countless people in a foreign land were infected by this song.

Zhou Ziheng is a professional music school in the future, so people with better voices can also join.

For an entire afternoon, Zhou Ziheng sang only this song "Wandering Song" instead of any other songs. However, the rewards he received were a far cry from before.

The performance lasted for two hours as well. In the past, the original incarnation could earn a maximum of 20 yuan from his performance, but today, Zhou Ziheng earned about three times more than usual.

He counted it up and found that today's earnings were fifty-five yuan and thirty cents.

It was almost equivalent to his one-night appearance fee at the Friendship Salon Ballroom. Not counting the wreaths and other tips from the guests, his one-night appearance fee was only fifty yuan.

Now, I can earn so much just by singing on the street for less than two hours without having to deal with those rich women.

If he hadn't known that this kind of thing couldn't last long and that street singing had no future, he would have wanted to quit his job as a resident singer in the nightclub.

"Wait a moment!"

After putting the money away, Zhou Ziheng was about to leave but was stopped by several people.

"What do you mean? Robbery?"

Zhou Ziheng frowned and took out the small knife he carried with him, staring at the middle-aged man in front of him.

Although the other person's dress didn't look like someone who would commit robbery.

But no one can say for sure about this kind of thing.

These days, there are all kinds of second-rate people all over the country.

Wandering singers like Zhou Ziheng are the most vulnerable to harassment by second-rate people.

They come up to you while you are singing to collect protection money, or they come up to you right after you finish and grab your gains.

In order to avoid being bullied, the original body bought a dagger and carried it with him every day.

After he traveled through time, he inherited the other person's personality and naturally carried the dagger with him.

Of course, he is not a fool. This thing is mostly used to scare people. He will not really use it to kill people.

Generally, it would be fine if he could scare the other party, but if the other party is more numerous and not afraid of him, he would generally choose to run away.

"Brother, don't get me wrong, we mean no harm!"

The middle-aged man was shocked when he saw the dagger and explained hurriedly:

"I don't mean anything else, I just have something I want to talk to you about."

Hearing this, Zhou Ziheng relaxed a little and retracted the dagger he used to scare people.

"My friend, I just listened to your singing. Your singing is very good and very appealing. I would like to ask you, are you a resident singer in any karaoke bar?

If not, based on the song you just sang, I think you are qualified to come to our Butong 100." Seeing that Zhou Ziheng was no longer on guard, the middle-aged man smiled.

When Zhou Ziheng heard Butong 100, he couldn't help but be stunned.

He didn't expect that the other party was actually from Butong 100.

For people in later generations, few people may know the name Butong 100.

But in this era, and for Zhou Ziheng, who had learned about the history of the development of mainland pop music in his previous school, the name of the Butong 100 Ballroom is very famous.

In the 1980s and 1990s in mainland China, if evening parties and youth singing competitions were the only way to enter the mainstream stage, then karaoke bars were the perfect place for folk talents to shine.

In the late 80s and early 90s, countless karaoke bars of all sizes emerged in the three pioneer reform cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

Among them, some karaoke bars are well-known.

There are four major karaoke bars in Beijing: Taiwan Hotel, Wangfu Hotel, Peace House, and Rich Man.

There is "JJ" in Shanghai.

In Guangdong, it is “Butong 100”.

These karaoke bars are not only the top entertainment karaoke bars in the mainland, but they are also home to hidden talents.

Take the Butong 100 dance hall for example.

It is located in Dongshan Hotel, one of the most famous hotels in Guangzhou.

This dance hall was founded by Chen Kai.

Its resident singers include Yang Yuying, Mao Lin, Chen Ming, Huo Feng, Na Ying, Huang Qishan and many others who will leave a strong mark on the pop music scene in the future.

Yes, Na Ying and Huang Qishan are also resident singers of Butong 100.

The reason why these people were able to successfully enter the Chinese music scene and achieve good results was that Butong 100 played a very important role.

Let’s not talk about others, let’s just talk about Na Ying and Huang Qishan.

After Na Ying participated in the Youth Song Competition in Beijing and won a good ranking, she became Gu Jianfen's disciple.

However, Gu Jianfen seems to prefer her senior sister Mao Amin.

In the late 100s, Na Ying had no choice but to move to Guangzhou and became a member of Butong . In addition to being a resident singer, she also recorded some cover tapes for Pacific Audio and Video Records.

It was not until 1993 that she was discovered and signed by Fumao Records at Butong 100, officially entering the music scene and achieving good results in the following years.

As for Huang Qishan, don't underestimate this person who may be called a powerful singer in the future.

But the truth is that she took the exam three times and failed to make it into the top 100 at Butong. In the end, it was Na Ying who strongly recommended her to her boss Chen Kai, and she was finally accepted.

Then, Huang Qishan worked as the mainstay here for half a year.

The reason why I said half a year is because she married to Taiwan half a year later.

At that time, Taiwan producer Tu Huiyuan came to Guangzhou to look for singers. He immediately took a liking to Xiaoxia, who was shining on the stage, and insisted on signing her.

He painted a very beautiful and dreamy picture for Xiaoxia: "I write the songs and you sing them."

This scene was like The Return of the Condor Heroes in the singing world. Xiaoxia, who wanted to become the best singer in China, agreed, gave up Butong 100 and rushed to Taiwan.

The result was that she went to Taiwan, but not only did she fail to become a popular singer, she also failed to retain Tu Huiyuan. Eventually, around 97, she returned to the mainland and signed a new contract with the company to release records.

In a word, at this time, Butong 100 is not only a top entertainment venue, you can also say it is the cradle of Guangdong music industry.

Because almost all of the future top stars in Guangdong music will come from this place.

Zhou Ziheng didn't expect that he would be favored by Butong 100.

However, after thinking about it, he chose to refuse.

"I'm sorry! I'm currently at the Friendship Salon Dance Hall, so I may not be able to come to your place!"

Hearing this, the middle-aged man was visibly stunned. He obviously didn't expect that a wandering singer would refuse the recruitment from Butong 100.

"My friend, don't you know our Butong 100 karaoke bar? We..."

"I know!" Zhou Ziheng shook his head. "How could I not know about the famous Butong 100? I really can't come here."

If it were yesterday, Zhou Ziheng would definitely agree to change jobs, or discuss with the other party about singing in two dance halls.

But Li Chunbo's reminder this morning made Zhou Ziheng choose to give up going to Butong 100.

Zhou Ziheng is still very confident about "Wandering Song".

Although this song is rustic, the melody is magical enough. As long as the person from China Records is not completely ignorant of the market, there is a great possibility that he will be signed.

And as long as he could impress the Chinese record company, he thought, his future would be completely different.

After all, the most attractive thing about Butong 100 is that you can showcase yourself through this platform and let record companies see you.

Moreover, Zhou Ziheng knew that the director of the planning department of China Record Corporation was called Chen Xiaoqi.

The other party is the biggest supporter of Butong 100.

Most of the songs by the singers from Butong 100 were actually written and composed by him.

Just as Mr. Huang Nian from Hong Kong said, "The mainland has Chen Xiaoqi, they don't need me."

He can be said to be the biggest promoter of mainland pop music in the 1990s.

Since I can get in touch with Butong’s biggest promoter through tonight’s concert, why should I go to Butong 100 instead?
So, he chose to reject Butong 100.

As for his songs not being taken seriously tonight.

Then Zhou Ziheng doesn't need to go to Butong 100 anymore.

After all, if I can't impress others tonight, it will obviously be impossible to do so in the future.

Oh! There was a reason for him to go there. Butong 100 was so famous, so naturally, his appearance fee was high.

In the past, Zhou Ziheng could earn a few hundred more yuan every day.

But for Zhou Ziheng, this makes no sense at all.

Instead of hanging around like this, he might as well try his luck in Hong Kong or Taiwan. If that doesn't work, he could go to Japan since he's good at both English and Japanese.

"That's such a pity! I think if you sang this song in Butong, many people would like it. What a pity! Since you can't come to Butong, forget it. I wish you good luck in singing." The middle-aged man felt a little regretful.

But he was obviously not the kind of person who would keep pestering others. Seeing that Zhou Ziheng had no intention of going to Butong, he did not try to persuade him anymore.

However, before leaving, he still left a business card for Zhou Ziheng, saying that if Zhou Ziheng ever wanted to go to Butong, he could call him.

(End of this chapter)